What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

Barre has grown the fastest since 2010 (0%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bethel	Barre
People
Population	1,736Lowest	8,005Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	0%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.7±3.7Highest 18% above VT	48.4±4.2Lowest 12% above VT
	Bethel and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.6%±3.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barre and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Highest VT: 21.4%	21.7%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bethel and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	39.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.2Highest VT: 7%
	Barre and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,822±$7kLowest 7% below VT	$93,210±$9kHighest 15% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kLowest 25% below VT	$281,400±$13kHighest 11% below VT
	Barre and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220Lowest 8% above VT	$1,524±$399Highest 24% above VT
	Barre and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Highest about the VT average	$4,737Lowest 6% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±20.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bethel and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 19% above VT	23 minLowest 4% below VT
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.7%±4.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barre and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Barre Unified Union School District #97
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.